Invasion of Brunant (817)
The invasion of Brunant in 817-818, also known as the Muslim conquest or the Umayyad conquest, was a successful invasion of the Brunanter Byzantine-controlled islands by the Emirate of Córdoba. The invasion began in the fall of 817 and resulted in Brunant falling under Muslim rule for the next four centuries, until it was successfully conquered by the Aragonese Crown in 1244. It is believed that around 2,000 soldiers participated in the invasion. Background After the Umayyad conquest of Hispania began in 711, a significant amount of people from the Iberian peninsula came to Brunant, which then became one of the last Christian lands still free in the western Mediterranean. From the 710s on, Hispania (or al-Andalus) was integrated into the Umayyad Caliphate as a province. In 714-15, the Umayyad governor of Al-Andalus, Abd al-Aziz bin Musa, led an attempted invasion of Brunant, but was thwarted shortly after landing his troops on the beaches near Brezonde. In 750, the Abbasid Revolution overthrew the Umayyad dynasty and established the Abbasid Caliphate. Abd al-Rahman, a prince of the deposed Umayyads, however, refused to recognize the authority of the Abbasids and became an independent emir of Córdoba in 756, founding the Emirate of Córdoba. In his process of uniting al-Andalus, which took more than twenty-five years, Abd al-Rahman launched a second offensive against the Byzantine-controlled Brunant in 775, but unfavorable winds and rains led him to lose many ships and call off the attack. The Byzantines fortified Brezonde, but focused their efforts on Niesium, where a well-built fortress was constructed around 795. Further fortified towns were built near Cassania and Mariana from 730-760 to try and help defend the islands. Conquest Taking of Brezonde In September 817, an Umayyad fleet set in the harbor of Brezonde and offered the inhabitants their terms for occupation, which were readily agreed. The troops under Emir Al-Hakam faced no opposition on his landing and the local governor, Constantine, surrendered in exchange for being allowed to leave for safe Byzantine regions with his servants and wealth. Sieges of Niesium The strategos of Brunant, Giorgius the Turk, refused to accede to the surrender and led 600 soldiers south to Niesium, where the town and fortress had over 1,000 soldiers manning it. The emir thus followed and had 1,400 soldiers at his disposal. Unable to force a battle, he instead began a siege. An outbreak of an epidemic greatly affected his soldiers, and he was forced to break the siege and retreat for Brezonde in December 817. In February 818, armed with an additional 400 reinforcements from the mainland, the emir's army launched another siege, which was considered long and bloody. The town eventually fell by surrendering in July, with tales of people resorting to cannibalism being reported. Giorgius was beheaded by the emir and his head was placed on a pike at the town gate. Siege of Cassania The emir appointed Khalil bin Ahmad to take Cassania with 600 soldiers. In November 817, he was able to break through the fortress walls and many Byzantines were massacred. Byzantine defense Byzantine troops were sent to Brunant in early 818 to reinforce the town of Mariana. They were determined to hold on to the eastern portion of Central Island, hoping to eventually reverse the invasion. Up to 700 additional troops were sent, but by the summer, it seemed the only defense would be at the town itself. The Emirate had forded the Martiges River in early August (ether at Blancart or Martiges) and had encircled Mariana by September. Battle of Mariana Mariana was besieged in September 818, but the local commander, Filippos Philokales, led nearly the entire garrison out to meet the Arabs. A costly mistake as he would be killed early on, and eventually after 400 deaths, the Byzantines surrendered. Aftermath The Battle of Mariana marked the end of the Byzantine occupation of Brunant and the beginning of four centuries of Muslims rule. In 1244, the Conquest of Brunant saw the islands fall under Aragonese rule. Category:Wars Category:Invasions